OK, one caller pestered our early morning online man on Tuesday, asking where my Answer Man column was. He explained that I took Monday off, but she still was not too happy.

So, I’m now claiming to have a rabid fan following. Sure, it’s singular, but I’ll take it.

Before my head gets too big, let’s get to today’s batch of burning questions, my smart-aleck replies and the real deal.

Question: Why do gas stations add 0.9 of a cent to the price of a gallon of gas? What would it take to round it off to a full cent?

My answer: 0.1? Is this a trick question for an English major?

Real answer: Jerry Butler, measurement section manager with the N.C. Standards Division, part of the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, said it’s a question he gets all the time.

“That 0.9 you’re talking about, the only thing that is is a marketing practice,” Butler said. “It’s just like if you bought an automobile for $19,999, versus $20,000. If you ask a consumer what they paid for that car, they’d say, ‘Around $19,000.’ They know it in their head that they paid more, but it just doesn’t register with them. It’s the same thing with gas — it makes it seem like it’s a penny cheaper.”

Some websites I checked suggested the practice initially came as a reaction to federal gas taxation. The government informed stations it wanted three-tenths of a penny for taxes, or however many tenths, so the station would just boost the price.

But they didn’t want to kick it up a full penny.

“You’ve got to remember this goes back to the 1920s and ‘30s,” said Gary Harris, executive director of the N.C. Petroleum and Convenience Marketers. “Back then you could go to the movies for 10 cents.”

In 1922, a random year I checked, gas was selling for 25 cents a gallon. So yes, a penny made a big difference as far as competition went.

The pricing quirk became tradition, one that holds even today when we’re paying almost $4 a gallon and a penny doesn’t matter much.

Butler said stations could change it if they wanted to, but if they did they’d have to deal with that consumer impression that they’re just slightly more expensive than the neighboring station.

“That’s just been a practice that in all likelihood is going to continue on,” said Scott Shealy, vice president of Citizens Fuel Co. in Asheville, which supplies about 20 gas station/convenience stores in the area.

Question: Who decided to work on Reems Creek Road and Hamburg Mountain Road at the same time? There aren’t many ways in and out of the Reems Creek Valley, and to block two of them at the same time is absurd. On Wednesday night, as late as 5:40 p.m., a mower was blocking the eastbound lane of Reems Creek Road with more than a dozen cars caught behind it and more arriving every minute. I’m sure all of the people trying to get home from work were thrilled at yet another delay, and this time with no warning and no flagger.

More generally, why can’t there be a website so the public can see what roadwork is being done where? In at least some cases, drivers could avoid these areas. At least we would know before we left home that extra time would be necessary. I’d rather have someone steal my money than steal my time. Money can be replaced.

My answer: I think I’m firmly in the “steal my time” camp. I’ve always found money replacement trickier than it sounds. Have you ever walked up to the guy who just robbed you and said, “Hey man, you mind replacing that 20 bucks you just took?” It doesn’t end well. On second thought, maybe I should’ve asked for $19.99 and nine-tenths of a cent.

Real answer: Mark Gibbs, division maintenance engineer with the N.C. DOT Asheville office, said they did indeed have a contract paving crew on Hamburg Mountain Road and a contract mowing crew on Reems Creek Road.

“We apologize for delay caused to the residents of Reems Creek Valley,” Gibbs said. “We have asked the contract mowing crew to avoid mowing in areas where contract paving is taking place. We have also asked that they pull onto the shoulder of the road in order to let traffic pass as often as possible to reduce delays and ensure that the advanced warning signs have maximum visibility.”

As far as keeping up on current construction work, Gibbs noted that the DOT has a website called the Traveler Information System, or TIMS, which shows construction work zones as well as accident locations.

“I checked this site and both Hamburg Mountain Road and Reems Creek Road are listed for possible delays due to repaving these roads,” he said.

For more about TIMS, visit https://tims.ncdot.gov/tims/

This is the opinion of John Boyle. To submit a question, call him at 232-5847 or send an email to jboyle@citizen-times.com